By: Bill Livingston (Cleveland Plain Dealer) —
CLEVELAND — Hard as it is to endorse B.J. Mullens’ defection at Ohio State, it is understandable. He comes from a background of urban pathology — poverty, drugs, family instability. In his life off the basketball court, by escaping from that world, he is already a success.

On the court, there is no doubt he would benefit from another season in Columbus. Offensively, Mullens showed little range against Siena in the NCAA Tournament. Siena’s Ryan Rossiter, 6-9, who looked like one of “The order drugs online Wonder Years” kids after a growth spurt, took his lunch money on the boards. On Mullens’ most impressive move, off an in-bounds play, he caught a lob three feet from the rim, extended his arms, and shoveled the ball downward into the basket, like a guy funneling loose change into the turnpike gate hopper. There is no defense for such a shot.

Because he is seven feet tall and can run, Mullens, the third seven-footer to leave Ohio State after his freshman year in the past three years, will be a first-round NBA draft choice. So were Greg Oden and Kosta Koufos before him.

Ironically, Mullens’ future will be secure because NBA teams are very patient with big men. They know “bigs” take longer to mesh their competitive gears at the rocketing pace of NBA decision making. It is the same patience none of them gave coach Thad Matta. They, literally, can’t afford to.
Because the goal at Ohio State is to win a national championship, Matta will continue to take the recruiting risk on ……..

Read the rest of the article directly from the page source by CLICKING HERE

No related posts.